Competitiveness

Competitiveness is a boutique consultancy created in 1994 with a very clear purpose: partnering with governments to foster innovation and competitiveness of the firms in its territory. In these years Competitiveness has helped over 10,000 companies from very diverse sectors partnering with leading Regional Governments and Multilateral Organizations.

Today we are the leading firm in our field based on a solid reputation conferred by robust methodologies and a proven success track record. This trajectory has resulted in

• Constant expansion to become a global player in our field. Our methodology has been used from Italy to Thailand. Our innovation and competitiveness methodologies know no cultural barriers.
• Recognition of our methods and methodologies reflected in reputed Business School case studies on our projects and on our company.
  

The consistency of our vision and strategy, the investment we have made in developing our core product, and our reliance on the latest IT and knowledge management technology also clearly differentiates the company from other Best-in-Class organizations. Unlike multi-disciplinary consulting firms, Competitiveness focuses exclusively on the development of competitive business clusters. Thus, we have been able to develop a more deep understanding of what makes cluster projects work than larger competitors.

Competitiveness has become a globally renowned cluster-development expert for a variety of reasons. We are a pioneer in the field. Our experience has been cited in numerous publications, and we have collaborated with top universities in developing case studies, including Harvard Business School and IESE Business School. We have played a leading role in cluster practitioners’ associations, particularly in founding The Competitiveness Institute.

But most significantly, Competitiveness's reputation stems from successful completion of more than 130 cluster projects. We have worked all across Europe – including Spain, France, the UK, Italy, Sweden, Thailand, Denmark and Argentina – and we are now gaining experience in other regions of the world, such as Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Our experience is literally without parallel.

Competitiveness was formed in 1994 by a group of Catalan consultants who had previously managed cluster projects at a leading American strategy consulting firm. They worked with Professor Michael Porter – the world’s leading scholar on cluster development – and participated in some of the first cluster initiatives ever implemented.

After completing a project in their native Catalonia, they decided to form a spin-off of their own. Competitiveness's first client was the Catalan government, which shared our founders’ belief in the importance of using local consultants to manage cluster initiatives. The company went on to implement over 28 cluster projects in Catalonia over the course of the next decade and has helped transform Catalonia into one of Europe’s leading economic regions. The Catalan government remains a client to this day.

Competitiveness has grown dramatically since 1994. Our cluster reinforcement methodology has been fine-tuned as we have accumulated experience in a broad spectrum of industries and regions. We have worked on projects throughout the world, including Europe, Latin America and Asia, and have formed local teams in seven different regions. Today, we are proud to be considered the world’s leading cluster strategists.

• 1994 Competitiveness is founded and works mainly in Catalonia (Spain)
• 1996 Competitiveness expande all over Spain
• 1998 Starts its expansion all over Europe
• 2000 Competitiveness develops unique tools for cluster administration
• 2002 Competitiveness starts its expansion in Latin America (Argentina & Brazil)
• 2005 Competitiveness opens a permanent office in Washington
• 2007 Competitiveness starts expansion plans in México & Chile